I recently had to return a pair of Magnepans; my wife didn't approve of the decor. So, I am planning to build a pair. Our listening room is 14' x 24' with an 8.5' ceiling. The speakers will go on either side of the fireplace, in the middle of the long wall, about 8' apart. They need to sit close to the back wall, and can be no more than 36" tall. This is non negotiable. We listen to jazz, alternative rock, acoustic stuff, some classical. I am thinking of using a single full range driver based largely on the very good reviews of the Tekton open baffle speaker. I have looked at audio nirvana but understand their enclosures are not really optimal. I know fostex makes some good drivers but their recommended enclosures are not up to par. The more I research the more confused I get. I'm really looking for a well proven design, my wife won't let me turn this into a "project". Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks!

I'm a newbie too and I want to make it clear that I have not heard any of these speakers talked about in this forum but I've done A LOT of research and I think one of the designs from Brines Acoustics would serve you well. I get to experiment and my system is in a spare bedroom where WAF is not an issue so I'm going to play a little. For me the Brines are a little too safe but it sounds like that's what you're looking for. Hope this helps. Good luck.